Perpignan gets a breath of fresh air by beating Stade Français

After a very tight first half, then a more open second half, Perpignan defeated Stade Français 20-18 and gained a significant boost in the race for survival. With a valuable bench, the Catalans are therefore taking a chance on survival with three matches remaining. For its part, Paris has suffered a fourth straight defeat and is in a very bad way.

From the opening minutes, the tone was set: indiscipline, technical inaccuracies, and balls given away too easily. The atmosphere was oppressive, with knock-ons numerous and initiatives too rare. In this context, it was Paris who struck first. Dakuwaqa took advantage of a ball fumbled by Duguivalu to open the scoring just before the break (3-10), at the end of a first half in which the visitors had better exploited the opponent's clumsiness.

After the break, Perpignan showed a completely different face. Buoyed by an incandescent crowd, the Catalans pushed and were rewarded with a strong try from Velarte, coming out of a well-structured maul (10-10). But just as he did so, Macalou emerged to intercept a poorly executed pass from James Hall, and restore the lead to his team (10-15). A try from elsewhere, which could have changed the course of the match. At that point, the Parisians seemed to have the upper hand, but nervousness was about to set in on both sides. Allan, for Usap, missed two attempts with his foot at a crucial moment, while Henry, for Paris, also failed to secure his team's lead. The pace was becoming choppy, the choices questionable, and the tension omnipresent. Azagoh's yellow card in the 74th minute would weigh heavily: a few moments later, Allan restored the lead to Perpignan (20-18), with a well-placed penalty.

The end of the match turned into psychological torture. Henry had the chance to put Paris back in front, but his kick in the 77th minute, slightly off-center, missed the posts. Immediately after, another foul on the ground by the Parisians, a fatal penalty. Usap handled the final seconds perfectly: Allan played the penalty with his hand before kicking into the stands. The final whistle. An explosion of joy at Aimé-Giral. The Catalan faces finally relaxed, some players collapsed, exhausted. On the Parisian side, it was dejection. Because despite good intentions and an often dominant pack, Stade Français paid dearly for its indiscipline and bad taste. As has often been the case this season.

With this victory, Perpignan took a breath of fresh air, even if nothing was decided yet. Usap provisionally moved back ahead of its opponent of the day and gave itself the right to continue believing. Paris, on the other hand, is now in grave danger. This bittersweet defeat symbolizes a season without a common thread, with the Parisians now only one step ahead of last-place Vannes.
The match of fear didn't create a hero, but it did name a survivor. For Stade Français, the last three matches will be long. Very long.

Full time; Perpignan 20-18 Stade Francais